1999 Hungarian Grand Prix
15 August |officialname = XV Marlboro Magyar Nagydij |circuit = Hungaroring |location = Budapest, Hungary |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 3.973 |laps = 77 |distance = 305.921 |pole = Mika Häkkinen |polenation = FIN |poleteam = |poletime = 1:18.156 |fastestlap = 1:20.699 |fastestlapdriver = David Coulthard |fastestlapnation = GBR |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 69 |winner = Mika Häkkinen |winnernation = FIN |winnerteam = |second = David Coulthard |secondnation = GBR |secondteam = |third = Eddie Irvine |thirdnation = GBR |thirdteam = }} The 1999 Hungarian Grand Prix, otherwise known as the XV Marlboro Magyar Nagydij, was the eleventh round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Hungaroring near Budapest, Hungary, on the 15 August 1999.'Hungarian GP, 1999', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr641.html, (Accessed 28/08/2019) The race would see Mika Häkkinen sweep to a dominant victory for , leaving David Coulthard and Championship leader Eddie Irvine to fight for second. The Finn had started the weekend much like he had throughout 1999, claiming pole position during qualifying. Irvine duly claimed second ahead of Häkkinen's teammate David Coulthard, while Giancarlo Fisichella secured fourth for . The start saw Häkkinen gain an instant lead, leaving Irvine to fight for second with Coulthard. However, the would flash through turn one unopposed, for Coulthard had made a mess of his start, and hence slipped behind both Fisichella and Heinz-Harald Frentzen. Häkkinen duly established an early lead over Irvine, with the Ulsterman himself able to escape from Fisichella early on. Coulthard, meanwhile, would find himself stuck behind Frentzen's , with the Hungaroring providing very few overtaking options. Indeed, the Scot would have to wait until the pitwindow to finally rid himself of the Jordan and Benetton, with those two peeling off early for fuel and tyres. Coulthard used the clear track ahead of him to produce a series of quick laps prior to his stop, and duly emerged ahead of Fisichella's Benetton when he rejoined. With that Coulthard was off the chase Irvine, although his attack would be interrupted by Rubens Barrichello in the . The Brazilian, on a one-stop strategy, did all he could to keep the #2 McLaren at bay, and hence forced Coulthard to wait until he made his only stop. With that the #2 McLaren swept onto the back of Irvine, whose pace was not at all strong in the closing stages. Indeed, with fifteen laps to go Coulthard was in position to strike, only for Irvine to hand him second place by sliding wide when looking for the McLaren in his mirrors. Out front, meanwhile, Häkkinen would cruise across the line to claim a dominant victory, with Coulthard ten seconds behind in second. Irvine finished a distant third but held onto his Championship lead, with Frentzen, Barrichello and Damon Hill picking up the rest of the points. Background Eddie Irvine used his third win of the season to establish himself at the head of the Championship, leaving Hockenheim with an eight point advantage. Mika Häkkinen was his closest challenger having lost the lead, with the Finn still the favourite as the battle for the Championship entered its final third. Behind, Heinz-Harald Frentzen had moved into third, nineteen off the lead, with Michael Schumacher hanging onto fourth ahead of David Coulthard. In the Constructors Championship it had been a very good afternoon for , with a one-two finish ensuring they scored maximum points. That took their tally up to 90 points for the campaign, which translated to a sixteen point advantage over in second, who had arrived in Hockenheim just two behind the Scuderia. Behind, had reinforced their grip on third ahead of , with nine constructors on the board. Entry List The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Alesi was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * 500th entry for a car using #18 as its race number.'1999 Hungarian GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1999&gp=Hungarian%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 28/08/2019) * 250th individual entry for a car using a engine. * Fifteenth Hungarian Grand Prix to be staged.'11. Hungary 1999', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1999/hongrie.aspx, (Accessed 28/08/2019) * Mika Häkkinen claimed the 30th pole position for a engine. * Häkkinen scored his thirteenth career victory. * 121st win for as a constructor. ** Also the 26th win for engine partners Mercedes. ** Twentieth win for Bridgestone as a tyre supplier. * David Coulthard claimed the 300th podium finish for a McLaren chassis. Standings A fourth win of the season for Mika Häkkinen ensured that the Finnish ace left Hungary with his title hopes greatly enhanced, having carved into the gap between himself and the Championship leader. Indeed, Eddie Irvine had seen his advantage cut to just two points after his late relegation down the field, with the Ulsterman also beginning to show the strains of fighting for the title. Behind, David Coulthard had moved up into third ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen, bumping Michael Schumacher down to fifth. In the Constructors Championship had delivered another strong blow to , with their one-two enhancing their tally to 90 points. Only Irvine's third place finish kept the Scuderia ahead, with Ferrari holding onto the remains of a four point lead over their Anglo-German rivals. Behind, were in an increasingly lonely third ahead of , while completed the top five. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1999 Grands Prix Category:Hungarian Grand Prix